Chapter 51

The counter was busy as usual today.

At the consultation counter, a new member was sitting in rotation.

A man with lustrous black hair and blue eyes.

His name is Luciola.

He has a gentle demeanor, and his responses at the consultation counter are calm and polite.

Luciola seems to have been dispatched from the Animus Kingdom.

The other one is Theo.

Completely opposite to Luciola, he has almost white blonde hair and a scar over one eye.

His first impression is intimidating, but Theo appears to be a genuine guild staff member with experience at the counter.

Renge and Eugene are not here.

The two, who were supposed to be working as appraisers in the third ward, are currently working to crack down on "Traumerei." Renge is working with Rava, and Eugene with Luke.

The morning's work seemed to be going smoothly, right up until the end.

Just as I was about to perform the status imprinting for a new registrant who looked like a mercenary, the crystal glowed red, and the imprinting failed.

"Hey, what's going on? It's not done yet?"

The mercenary-like man was tapping his fingers on the counter, complaining.

I had an idea about the crystal's reaction, so I calmly looked at the name temporarily registered on the card.

"Mr. Hugh Boyd, you've had a guild card issued before, haven't you?"

"Huh? It's my first time. And even if I did, what's it got to do with you?"

Boyd made a troubled expression and continued to tap his fingers.

"Have you registered under a different name before?"

I tried to remain calm, but Boyd punched the counter.

"What? Are you doubting me? I've been waiting here, and you're still making me wait?"

"The red glow of the crystal indicates that it has detected the magic of someone who has registered before."

I don't know the exact mechanism, but apparently, the crystals in all guilds share the traces of magic from new registrants to prevent double registration.

If you want to re-register or have lost your card, you need to go through a procedure.

If you've lost your card, you need to prove your identity, which is quite difficult.

In most cases, you have to start over and re-register, losing all your previous ranks.

In Boyd's case, he was probably trying to impersonate a new registrant by changing his name to misuse the service.

"Oh, I lost my old card. I wanted to re-register. Just remembered."

"In that case, additional procedures are required. This counter cannot handle it, so please ask the guild staff at the entrance."

I deliberately spoke slowly to the brazen Boyd.

"Can't you just do it quickly? It's a hassle to wait in line again. Hey, is there someone else who can do it?"

It's a hassle for me too.

"No one else can perform the status registration service. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Just as I was about to say to come back another time, he grabbed at my chest.

To avoid being scolded by Quincy again, I stepped back to avoid Boyd's hand.

Boyd was pulled away by the staff and thrown out of the guild.

"Please come back another time, sir."

Quincy said this deliberately and watched him go.

After the afternoon's work ended, Quincy and I headed to the chief's office.

"Excuse us."

"Ah, you're here. Noah's operation was a moderate success."

The chief offered me a seat and began to share the reports gathered from various sources.

"First, from Luke. He successfully contacted the merchant selling 'Traumerei' and immediately expressed his desire to perform the ritual. He said he paid the merchant a generous amount of money."

The merchant didn't say it outright, but hinted that an intermediary would come around tomorrow morning.

Impressive, Luke.

He subtly offered a bribe to the merchant to ensure priority and showed that he had money.

"I've obtained permission to use the mansion. As insurance, I also borrowed a dagger with the Stern family's crest. Please give it to Luke."

"Hmm. Generous. This sets the stage for the final preparations."

The crest on the dagger belongs to the Stern family.

What I obtained from Tristan is permission to use the annex where the servants stay.

Luke is a noble's son.

Tristan's attendant, staying at the Stern mansion.

That's the setup.

Ultimately, where to lure the female magician.

A place that doesn't seem unnatural and where the female magician would be tempted.

Considering this, Tristan's mansion was quite convenient.

"Given the suddenness and the high status of the Stern family, I thought obtaining permission would be difficult. You seem to be quite close to Lord Tristan."

"He agreed readily, saying it was for a friend. He said he would invite a few knights for a meal on the day, so a bit of noise wouldn't be a problem."

I relayed what Tristan said.

"Hmm?"

"The meal is a joke. The knights will be watching the back entrance of the mansion."

It's likely that the trio will come.

Since the injury, I haven't been able to meet them due to the back-and-forth between the mansion and the guild, so this is a good opportunity.

"Lord Tristan, of all people, making a joke. But it's appreciated."

Tristan is apparently known as a serious person who doesn't joke, even to the guild chief.

The chief is also too honest.

"How is Rava doing?"

"Ah, it seems that fake 'Traumerei' is circulating."

From the items recovered, it was clear that anything not bought directly from the merchant was just junk, not a magical item.

The analysis by the magic guild revealed that the fakes were enchanted with a spell to mislead, which would cause them to break if disassembled or whose magic couldn't be identified.

Renge tried to recover the items from the witnesses of the miracle.

However, they said that a merchant later came and bought back the 'Traumerei' they no longer needed.

It seems the female magician is quite cautious.

She's making a profit without leaving any evidence.

But that's not the time to be concerned.

"However, it was discovered that the aforementioned Nesta Odel still possesses the real 'Traumerei.'"

Nesta was reluctant to part with the bracelet, one of her mother's heirlooms.

"Finally, the analysis of the real item has begun."

Nesta's determination to expose the female magician's true identity is what left the evidence.

That's what I thought.